Sloppy play no reason to panic - yet

UNDISTINGUISHED

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, August 9, 2008

49ers quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan fumbles the ball in the second quarter, tackled by Raiders Greg Spires and Jon Alston. The Raiders recovered the fumble.

49ers quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan fumbles the ball in the second quarter, tackled by Raiders Greg Spires and Jon Alston. The Raiders recovered the fumble.

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

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49ers punter Andy Lee can't stop Raiders Johnnie Lee Higgins as he runs into the endzone for a punt return touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

49ers punter Andy Lee can't stop Raiders Johnnie Lee Higgins as he runs into the endzone for a punt return touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

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Raiders Darren McFadden follows the block of Justin Griffith (#36) in the 1st quarter. 49ers Parys Haralson at right.The Oakland Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers in a NFL preseason game at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on August 8, 2008. less

Raiders Darren McFadden follows the block of Justin Griffith (#36) in the 1st quarter. 49ers Parys Haralson at right.The Oakland Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers in a NFL preseason game at McAfee Coliseum ... more

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

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49ers quarterback Alex Smith runs from Raiders Kalimba Edwards in the 2nd quarter.The Oakland Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers in a NFL preseason game at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on August 8, 2008. less

49ers quarterback Alex Smith runs from Raiders Kalimba Edwards in the 2nd quarter.The Oakland Raiders host the San Francisco 49ers in a NFL preseason game at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on August 8, ... more

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

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49ers quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan hands the ball off to DeShaun Foster in the first quarter.

49ers quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan hands the ball off to DeShaun Foster in the first quarter.

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

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A pass intended for Raiders Javon Walker (left) is broken up by 49ers Walt Harris in the first quarter.

A pass intended for Raiders Javon Walker (left) is broken up by 49ers Walt Harris in the first quarter.

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

Sloppy play no reason to panic - yet

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Training camp snaps and 11-on-11 drills don't provide an accurate forecast of how an NFL team will fare when the games matter. The same goes for exhibition football, so the relative lack of precision Friday night in the 49ers and Raiders' opening preseason skirmish should be kept in proper perspective.

All is calm. There is no reason for full-scale panic on either side of the bay, despite the cold truth that neither starting quarterback looked comfortable or confident, or that both defenses showed a disturbing lack of pass rush and depth.

Then again, if you're a 49ers follower, it's OK to be a little concerned.

Before a surprisingly full Coliseum, the Raiders showed they are fun to watch on special teams and should be pretty adept at running the football.

The 49ers made it perfectly clear they are having a difficult time hanging on to the ball. Worse, after two weeks of training camp, they put the word out that nobody seems to have a handle on the newfangled Mike Martz offense. And they appear no closer to securing a solid No. 1 quarterback than they were last season.

The Raiders' 18-6 victory, helped along by three San Francisco turnovers and plenty of general sloppiness, gives Silver and Black fans a reason to wonder why the heck Michael Bush (8 carries, 27 yards, one bruising 5-yard rushing touchdown) was sitting on the shelf his 2007 rookie season after recovering from a broken leg his last year in college.

The debut of first-round draft pick Darren McFadden could be deemed successful (12 carries, 48 yards). Factor in Bush's impressive display along with the playmaking flashes of rookie running back Louis Rankin - he broke loose on a 72-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up a field goal by Sebastian Janikowski fill-in Aaron Elling - and the Raiders' running back lineup appears as deep and solid as any in the NFL.

Then there was the breakout - finally - of Johnnie Lee Higgins as a return man. The second-year receiver took a short Andy Lee punt in the second quarter and churned 53 yards for the game's opening touchdown.

So yeah, the 49er Faithful must be feeling slightly unsettled.

Is there a legitimate quarterback for this team, or will Alex Smith claim the starting nod on Sept. 7 against the Cardinals because of his salary cap number?

It's easy to draw knee-jerk conclusions about players in Week 1 of the exhibition season - as in, there may a good reason that quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan, the fumbling former Martz protege in Detroit, threw only 26 passes last season playing behind Jon Kitna. Or that Smith's favorite throws appear to be the ones he tosses behind every receiver, and that the former shotgun passer still doesn't look comfortable taking snaps under center after three full NFL seasons.

That leaves us with Shaun Hill, the '07 free-agent savior who was the third quarterback Friday, coming in well after the 49ers had fallen into a two-touchdown hole but were playing against the Raiders' second- and third-team defense. He should have done something, anything ... right?

Nothing to see here, folks: Hill looked as shaky as the others, scrambling in confusion when routes and pass protection broke down. He took a 6-yard sack and tossed an interception.

As for the Raiders, you have to wonder: Why has there been such a bias against quarterback Andrew Walter? What did the guy ever do wrong, except get drafted by a franchise that tends to stock up on Pac-10 quarterbacks like they are accessories (see: Marques Tuiasosopo) and allows them to rot until they are long past their useful shelf life?

Last year's No. 1 overall draft pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, got the start for the Raiders. He ran when he wasn't supposed to, or he waited too long to make his throws, at one point drawing an awkward 3-yard sack that featured his hefty 6-foot-6, 260-pound body falling forward like a toppled statue.

After completing 2 of 5 passes for 13 yards, he gave way to Walter, the third-round pick in '05 who couldn't beat out Aaron Brooks, Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown. Then again, was he ever really given a fair shot?

Walter looked like a seasoned veteran against the 49ers, completing 10 of 12 passes for 82 yards and leading the Raiders to their only scoring drive on offense.

By all accounts, the Raiders were the superior team. Even coach Lane Kiffin exercised his playbook options to the fullest, taking advantage of the 49ers' delay-of-game penalty on a third-quarter PAT and opting instead for a two-point conversion. Walter drilled the completion to rookie Chaz Schilens.

The beauty of preseason football, from the drills to the games, is what it represents - a methodical puzzle of options. The local teams are still piecing theirs together.

For now, the Raiders seem to have the better fit.

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